New Zealand has two separate areas which are North Island and South Island. These are completely different in geography, weather and people.
On board the Brillance of the Seas, we had four stops in Pitcan, Christchurch, Dunedin, and NZ Fjords. We then sailed back to Sydney to catch a flight from Sydney to Auckland.
In Pitcan, we took one of RCCL’s tour titled “Taste of Malbrough” when originally booked prior to our trip it was to have two vinery stops and stop at some stores. It was a full bus load of people with one winery stop and stop at some shops and a chocolate place called Makana. The trip was pricing was expensive, and would not recommend for the value. The stop at Spyglass winery and the Makana Chocolate was nice, but could have been covered by a taxi for <$100 total vs our >$300. I can state this was our worst experience for a tour on our four month adventure. I did not do my homework for this ship tour and highly suggest printing out the agenda when booking early prior to cruise. The wording had changed slightly since my reasoning for taking this tour vs another wine tour was the wording. There were several other tour venues that we could have taken and had an enjoyable time.
Our next stop was Christchurch, where we opted for a self-tour. We took the ship shuttle bus $10/p to Christchurch. We walked to the Botanical gardens and then toured the city with the Avon river running around the CBD.
Giddy had a good time at the gardens as he met some new friends and enjoyed the spray from the fountain. Personally, I thought it was a little chilly, however the sun soon warmed us.
From Christchurch, we sailed to Dunedin which is the sister city to Edinburgh in Scotland. We had scheduled a third party tour, where there was only 8 people. The small group tours seem to be the best advantage when travelling to new areas. We had several stops along the way including Baldwin Street – “the steepest street in the world”. Our stops within the city area included Signal Hill for overview of city, the Edwardian Clock tower at New Zealand’s first University Otago founded in 1870, and the Dunedin Railway Station which is another example of Edwardian architecture and is the most photographed building in the southern hemisphere.
From there we headed out the Otago Peninsula for some views and visited New Zealand’s only castle to see it’s extensive gardens, and grabbed a scone and coffee by the fireplace. As we left Dunedin, the lighthouse at the point had some Albatrosses flying about. As we sailed a full rainbow was seen with hundreds of seabirds sitting on the water.
New Zealand Fjords National Park
Our next stop was the New Zealand Fjords which on our previous attempt to visit while on the Ovation of the Seas one month prior the seas were too rough. I was told it is average of three attempts to actually see the fjords. The New Zealand Fjords National Park consist of three main fjords that cruise ships can access. This was one of my points of interest that I wanted to see during this four-month adventure. After heavy rain temporary waterfalls can be seen running down the steep sided rock faces that line the fiords. They are fed by rainwater-drenched moss and will last a few days at most once the rain stops.
As we sailed around the southern tip of New Zealand the sea became rough and the temperatures dropped. During the early morning, one individual had to be medevac by helicopter which the shipped stopped to land the helicopter in the rough seas.
As we entered the Dusky Sound, the clouds were hanging low full of rain as we sailed into the sound. The 40km-long Dusky Sound is dotted with more than 350 small islands which the cruise navigates back out to open waters. At eight am, I was standing up front on deck 12 forward with the wind blowing and the temp was only 4 deg C. I was glad I had on my new jacket, which kept me warm however my hands were freezing. As we sailed through the sound, we passed some seals hanging out on rock as the rain began to pelt us with sleet. My camera could not capture the beauty of the falling waters cascading down the mountain slopes.
Our next was Doubtful Sound which Captain Cook named since he thought that it has doubtful, they would be able sail out of this sound. The rain had lessened and clouds were beginning breakup slightly. Doubtful Sound spans a staggering 40 km (25 miles) from the head of the fiord to the Tasman Sea. It is the deepest of New Zealand’s 14 fiords and its immense size leaves all who visit feeling humbled yet uplifted by its powerful physical presence. After spending just a short amount of time immersed in Doubtful Sound, it is easy to understand why early Māori named the fiord, Patea-meaning ‘place of silence’.
I believe the most majestic of the fjords in Milford Sound which has been named as 8th Wonder of the World. The Milford Sound runs 15 km inland from the Tasman Sea at Dale Point, the mouth of the fiord, and is surrounded by sheer rock faces that rise 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) or more on either side. The Milford Sound sports two permanent waterfalls, Lady Bowen Falls and Stirling Falls.[
After the fjords it was two days at sea until we reached Sydney and then we fly to Auckland (North Island) NZ. Stay tune for the Auckland update. Our ship has been plagued by ambulances at each stop on this voyage with some passengers becoming ill and others having emergency measures being performed. Our hopes and thoughts are with each of those passengers.
We learned yesterday that our friend Jack had passed through the barrier of life and our thoughts are with him and his family.
Take care mates stay well.